After what seemed like an eternity waiting for my next opportunity to fish my favourite river, I finally found myself packing the rods into the car and making the familiar trip along the A40 to Brecon Beacons. This time I was accompanied by my fishing pal Pete who had carefully negotiated his "day pass" to coincide with mine. The conversation in the car was animated, flitting between work, holidays and the state-of-the-nation. But inevitably we were soon talking "trout" - what condition would the river be in, what would the best tactics be; and so on.
On arrival at Pantyscallog it was immediately obvious we were in for a tricky session. The river Usk was very low and gin-clear with very little in the way of hatches or rising fish. This would be a day for ultra stealth tactics - keep a low profile, make delicate casts and stalk fish with utmost care.
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| Pete stalks nervy trout in a glide under the falls - an idyllic spot |
Sure enough it took a while for things to start happening. After fruitless searches of the riffles with a duo rig, I finally spotted signs of feeding activity on a smooth glide. Several caddis species were starting to appear, along with some very small upwings, stoneflies and brook duns. A good fish was spotted within casting distance after inching my way up the glide. In went a delicate cast and within seconds the CDC & Elk was engulfed in a boiling rise. A fish was well and truly connected and a manic fight ensued with my 3WT bent almost double. The result was a fantastic wild brownie netted weighing in at just under 1 1/2 lb.
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| A rod-bending heavyweight prised from the water using ultra-stealth! |
Another 1/2 lb fish was netted 30 minutes later on the CDC & Elk, just as Pete called by suggesting it was time for lunch - good timing Pete!
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| The colour and marking variations of Usk trout always amaze me - this one was almost blue! |
We continued to toil after lunch. Pete had been experimenting with various patterns and was finally rewarded after lengthening his leader and netting two nervy fish on a Parachute Adams. A further three fish made their way to my net in a post-lunch purple patch. As we headed toward tea time the rises stopped and the fly life seemed to have packed up and gone for the day. But with both of us having caught in such difficult conditions, I felt we had been sufficiently rewarded. Needless to say the conversation all the way back home was predominated by plans for the next trip!
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| A beat with a view - a glorious way to end the day |
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